Heavenly Living in Hostage Times Daniel 6 Continued (2)
Heavenly Living in Hostage Times • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
IN this study we need to not mistake this teaching as a Pattern vs. Principle-God is sovereign
Daniel is approx. 83 years old-serving in Babylon at this period 65 years.
Daniel distinguished himself. There was an excellent spirit in him.
There is much to be said about holy living.
You remember that he exercised spiritual disciplines, holy habits if you will.
Verse 7 Guided by popularity vs. principle.
God honors placing blame where blame goes. Darius was upset with himself. Darius’ heart was right in attempting to right his wrong.
Integrity-Darius-He could not pick and choose integrity. He had to be good to his word of the edict
Integrity-Daniel, “Lord, I’m 83 years old. I’m in this little dilemma. Can I take a 30 day sabbatical from prayer. I’ve prayed enough over these last 70 or so years, can I just take a reprieve for 30 days. Daniel did not do that.
What goes around comes around.
Guiding Principle-God will be with you through the lion’s dens of life.
God is sovereign-Sometimes he chooses grace and other times He chooses differently. He is found faithful.
Daniel 6:18-28
Daniel 6:18-28
18 Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him. 19 Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”
21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”
23 Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.
24 And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.
25 Then King Darius wrote:
To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:
Peace be multiplied to you.
26 I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.
For He is the living God,
And steadfast forever;
His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed,
And His dominion shall endure to the end.
27 He delivers and rescues,
And He works signs and wonders
In heaven and on earth,
Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Take Your Medicine VV. 18-20
Take Your Medicine VV. 18-20
I called this section, take your medicine.
How many of you dislike medicine? Why? Aftertaste. Rough going down. King Darius had a rough night anguishing over his decision. He did not run from his decision. he admitted his failure. He meets the problem head on. And, the medicine was rough going down.
Note He fastened.
Do you know there are times that fretting or restless over a poor choice can be very productive times in the Lord.
Law of Physics-if you remove something, you can add something.
Darius fasted. This rendered more time to focus on other issues.
If someone here tonight is fretting over a poor choice, the question I would ask is what can you remove to allow God in. Allow God in for wisdom, for counsel, for guidance, for strength, etc.
God allows things to happen in our lives sometimes for us to remove something to allow of more of Him.
Psalm 77:4 “4 You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.”
No musicians were brought in. Nothing was done to ease the pain. Darius wanted to absorb the full affect of his choice. Take your medicine. Put the stick in your mouth while the bullet is being pulled out. Do not take the strong drink to lessen the pain.
Pain teaches principles. There were no musicians to soothe or lessen his pain. Pain is a great teacher.
Darius went to the fire of his mistake to meet it head on. Important note in that.
You can not encounter the Lord and all that he stands for and not address your past mistakes head on.
New starts in Christ do not rid bills on Monday morning, hard conversations on Monday morning, correcting wrongs on Monday morning. We can not pick and choose in the Christian life what right and wrong decisions we are going to make.
Living a life in Christ is making right choices, but still exercise integrity on our poor choices of past on Monday.
Jeremiah 32:17 “17 ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”
You may face collateral damage from past poor choices. Will it be hard? Yes. Is it too hard for the Lord? Will he walk you through the fire? Yes.
Thank Your Maker
Thank Your Maker
VV. 21-22
Daniel recognized who was at work and who did the work.
Food for thought: Would we have more grace decisions fall our way if we gave credit to who is at work in our lives?
Hebrews 11:33 “33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,”
Rest easy with right actions
Hebrews 1:14 “14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”
Remove Wrongful Influences
Remove Wrongful Influences
v. 24
Purge for wrongful influences is an understatement.
Listen to verse 24.
Daniel 6:24 “24 And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.”
Why do you think the actions were so extreme? Women and children.
Ill. Culture-example Restaurant-you have a call in order. The order is not ready. The girl you gave the order to has left for the day and I did not get the order. I gave the order to a man. The culture-to make excuses. Someone taught them that culture.
Dearly beloved, to live a new life in Christ and do away with the old, we have to change our culture, our surroundings, our influences all the way around.
Deuteronomy 19:18–19 “18 And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, 19 then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you.”
Jennifer Crumbley: Michigan gunman's mother found guilty of manslaughter
Jennifer Crumbley: Michigan gunman's mother found guilty of manslaughter
A jury has found a Michigan mother guilty of involuntary manslaughter for failing to stop her son from carrying out a deadly school shooting.
Jennifer Crumbley, 45, is the first US parent convicted of manslaughter over a mass shooting carried out by their child.
Prosecutors accused her of being negligent in allowing her son to have a gun, and ignoring warnings signs.
Her husband, James, is facing a separate trial on the same charges.
Their son, now 17, is serving life in prison for killing four classmates at Oxford High School in Michigan on 30 November 2021.
Seven people were also injured in the shooting.
The judge, speaking to jurors, said this was probably "the hardest thing you've ever done".
Ms Crumbley appeared emotionless and stared straight down as the verdict was read in Oakland County court on Tuesday.
I’m not placing judgment or giving my opinion of the court’s decisions. I’m saying that a jury of community representatives have determined they want to change the culture of their area and what happened in their region. They sent a message.
I ask you this question tonight. If you want to be more like Jesus and make choices that he would delight in, what cultures do you have to rid to aid in living a lifestyle He wants for you?
Catapult from Grace and Make New Goals for Christ
Catapult from Grace and Make New Goals for Christ
Isn’t it one of the greatest feelings to be able to right a wrong?
To believe that God works in the mysterious. We never understand why we face the lion’s dens of life during the time, but it may be to bring about life deliverance in someone else.
Notice something amazing.
If you read verses 25-28 too quickly you will assume Daniel wrote those beautiful words. Note who wrote these words.
25 Then King Darius wrote:
To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:
Peace be multiplied to you.
26 I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.
For He is the living God,
And steadfast forever;
His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed,
And His dominion shall endure to the end.
27 He delivers and rescues,
And He works signs and wonders
In heaven and on earth,
Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
King Darius-royalty, blue blood wrote a message for everyone.
Darius used his influence to influence others for God. As he gave the decree, he gave the why of the decree.
He is the living God. Darius could have thought his situation was dead in the water, that ship has sailed. There is nothing I can do about that. He’s exactly right. But God can.
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Kingdom of God-His reign is forever
Daniel 2:44 “44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”
God is working in the winning and the worrisome times.
There are times we do not know what is going on and we question why.
Daniel 6:27 “27 He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”
Daniel asserts that it was through the trial and tribulation that God revealed Himself and deepened His love, devotion and understanding of God.
Daniel 4:2–3 “2 I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. 3 How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.”
The caveat:
28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
I have heard it said many times and I myself have reference the dash of life when doing a funeral. Life is in the dash. But one blessed hope we have is we know the book ends of the Bible.
I would not ever tell you that I understand 110% of everything the Bible states.
I will tell you like the Cliff notes we had in school. I know the beginning and the end and the high points fairly well. My life is lived in the dashes. God controls that. i know the bookends of the Bible and that gives me peace. All the rest is in His hands. Amen.